Lettuce Wraps

Lettuce wraps are one of my favorite things to eat when I want something fresh and fast, or when I just don’t feel like cooking (usually the later). I work in a kitchen right? I spend all morning six days a week surrounded by food, on my feet, sweating over an oven. Sometimes the last thing I want to do is to come home and cook or chop vegetable or be around a stove. Lettuce wraps for me are a go-to then. And I can fill them with whatever I like (at home bacon is my personal favorite).

On our trip we found the lettuce wrap to be a friend as well, especially when we were in the desert and sweating balls, post hike. The last thing we wanted to do was drag out the stove and propane and stand over a hot surface (f*** that). Insert then a refreshing wrap and chips (sweet potato or plantain ones for me, plantains are my preferred chip of choice)!

This particular wrap I distinctly remember. We were at my favorite Utah park, Bryce Canyon (Utah has five national parks referred to as the Mighty Five, we went to them all). We drove all the way down to the end. Took in the scenery of the whole thing. Spotted the lookouts we were headed to. Loved the Natural Arch there. And then we headed back down to the crowded, most popular look-outs. We dropped our bikes off at Sunset Point and drove over to Sunrise Point. Hit a trail and really got into the maze of cool formations that make up Bryce Canyon. It was truly stunning. The Queens Trail, is a must. You walk through archways cut into the rocks. And the views are just non-stop the whole way. Crush the switchbacks on the way up to Sunset and take in even more breathtaking views. I do have to say, here is where Thor’s Hammer is. I had seen a lot of pictures on my Pinterest and seen it on different sites, I was a little disappointed in seeing it in person. The hike. The views. The experience is what I treasured. I walked away thinking that I liked it even more than I had anticipated. That is always a good thing because often on a trip we hype things up, it’s easy to be disappointed, but if we come away happier than we thought, that’s a win. Bryce Canyon fully surprised me.

Once we left Sunset, we biked back on over to Sunrise. Set up our chairs. Snuck in a shower. Prepped this super quick. I had some sweet potato chips (which oddly must have been next to bananas because they had a faint banana flavor) and Zach had his favorite BBQ kettle chips. So good after a hot hike and morning of views.

Lettuce Wraps

2-3 Whole Leaves of Lettuce

2 Slices of Provolone Cheese (grass-fed if possible)

2 Tbsp homemade Ranch Dressing

4 oz. quality salami

2 slices of bacon (if you have it)

Make it Happen: Peel lettuce leaves off, trying to maintain their shape and not shred. Layer cheese and salami. Drizzle dressing. Wrap, roll and go!!!!